The Portland daily press., 1887-08-09
Important Questions in the South.

The great prohibition uphcaval in Texas,
aside from all consideration of the main
question involved, has resulted in bringing
forth some very interesting indirect testi-
mony as To social and political questions in
that vast and growing commonwealth. All
grades of society in the State were, if we
may believe the published accounts. pro-
foundly stirred, and each displayed its sail
ent characteristics with an ingenuousness
that might have been wanting in time of
less pressure.
In the first place the progress which the
negro has made is a question of the greatest
importance. Is tho ssstem of his education,
Tor Which the philanthropsts of the North
have been deyoting so much money, having
practical results that are yet visible in a
higher morality and condition of citizenship?
And under this system of education is the
negro making appreciable strides towards
degree Of intelligence which will enable
him to decide for himself on the new politi-
cal questions which must he continually
arising9 These are questions which are
often asked and often answered unsatisfac-
torlly. The dispatches from the eastern
part of Texas record an instructive observa-
ton made in the region around the city of
Palestine. AT first the negro voters of that
region seemed to be all for prohibition. But
they were told by the orators of the whskey
men that by voting for prohibition they
would vote against personal liberty" and
that this was but step towards putting
them back into slavery This wretched ar
gument was believed by many negroes. But
tho fc II fbo al
younger ones, who are more or less educat-
3D. could not be deceived in this way, and
voted for prohibition. That in barely
quarter Of century there has come from
race OF intensely ignorant and degraded
slaves race of younger" and ''more or less
educated" negroes capable of rejecting clap
trap arguments and Of forming distinct
party against the opinion of their elder rea-
tives and acquaintance, is IN observation of
great interest and very encouraging
The attitude of the foreign population of
Texas in the recent excitement is another
subject of frequent and interesting obserya-
tions in the dispatches. AT Austin consid-
cradle number Of Swedes stood by prohibi-
ton, but with this exception the foreigners
We're almost to a man against it. Down at
Brownsville and other places on the Rio
Grande border the Mexicans contemplated
the novel proposition Of the prohibitionists
with unconcealed wonder and disgust, con-
demned it as ridiculous and cranky device
of the Yankees, and, such of them as could,
proceeded to vote the other way with great
unanimity. But fifty-eight prohibition votes
were mustered in Brownsville. The effect
of fhic dfcnncifiota Of fha 10.
been to cause a sentiment of Nothing
ism to crop out among some of the oldest
Democrats, who must have had their Demo-
cratlc principles instilled nearly as long ago
as when the Democratic party made its
boosted fight against Know Nothingism.
Inc distribution Of the prohibition and
antl-prohibitionv votes is another interesting
feature OF the contest. The division of Texas
INTO two States is a political question that
has more than once been preached. The re-
cent election shows that the State is by no
means homogeneous in sentiment There is
northeastern half, thickly populated, with
many cities and railroads, and peopled to a
great extent by immigrants from the North
and West; and southern and southwestern
portion, more sparsely settled, less enter
prising, and more influenced by Mexican
than Northern IDEAS 1t was calculated that
if string 100 miles in length were attached
by one end to the dome of the Dallas Court
House, and then swept round in the circle,
the ground within this radius would contain
one-third of the States population. 1t was
here that the prohibitionists were most ac-
tive. The South and West were "Anti''
clear through, and of the counties within
Sixty miles of the Rio Grande there were not
, nan dozen Of which anything was even
moped py the prohibitionists. A dividing
nne between the two sections would fall
from northwest to southeast or about along
.ne brazos or Colorado rivers SO if the pro-
hloition night is to continue it is liable to
cause not only rupture in the Democratic